Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 20
South Africa Central Bank Warns It Must Act on Rising Inflation Expectations After 7% Rate Hike
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 20

South Africa Central Bank Warns It Must Act on Rising Inflation Expectations After 7% Rate Hike

2 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 20

Summary

  • Governor Lesetja Kganyago said South Africa’s central bank is seeing early signs of second-round inflation effects, making action necessary as underlying price pressures build.
  • A 25-basis-point increase in May lifted the policy rate to 7%, the first hike in three years, but Kganyago said policymakers did not yet have the latest inflation-expectations data at that meeting.
  • Rising inflation expectations now appear to be a key concern for the bank, suggesting officials are weighing whether earlier tightening was enough to contain broader price pressures.

Insights

As South Africa faces stagflation, will the central bank's cure be worse than the economic disease?
Can interest rate hikes solve an inflation crisis fueled by global conflict and failing domestic infrastructure?